One of my all time favourites and a truly magnificent movie. Great casting,sets,costumes,cinematography,music & innovative direction by Hariharan. MT Vasudevan Nair has worked wonders with the script & dialogues. It can be said that he successfully re-wrote history by turning "chadiyan chandu" of kerala folklore into a modern day hero. The portayal of Chandu by Mammootty was so complete that its his face that comes to mind whenever one reads about this historical character in story books or academic texts. Captain Raju too, arguably played the role of his life as "Aringodar". The kalari payat scenes have been beautifully picturised and appear very realistic. And ofcourse the two songs by Yesudas have become perennial favourites. I don't think there's anything about this movie that can termed even remotely negative. The copyright holders should urgently think of releasing this film on DVD. It would be a great tribute to one of the best movies ever made in India.
45 Reviews
One of the epic in Malayalam
rahulchandra-152555 March 2021
Good movie
shylocklc27 March 2021
As good as it gets
mrcyriac19 January 2007
I tried finding a DVD copy of this film but was unsuccessful. i highly suggest that the producers of this movie decide to remaster the video and audio for future generations. the copy of it that I saw was a very grainy print on VHS, which unfortunately is how most people watch the movie for the first time. its strange how fast the technical quality of movie prints in India have been improving in recent years. Malayalam cinema is always a few years behind obviously, but i wish that current technology were available in the late 1980s in Kerala. This is not the sort of movie that can be re-made. i am all but certain that the spirit would be ruined. The last thing i want to see is some scrawny lad doing hong kong kung fu in the kalari. there is no perfect movie, but this comes close. when a story manages to upturn legend, bond us with a silent hero, and entertain us along the way, it has done its job and then some. i wish there were more like this.
A CLASSIC WITH NO FLAWS !
rashademon7 May 2020
The Cult Classic Epic Saga of an Antagonist from Kerala Folklore twisting him to a Modern day Hero !
This Movie made in 1989 with a budget of 3 Crore Rupees (the most expensive movie in Malayalam at that period) was no less than a Magnum Opus with powerful script from legendary M.T.Vasudevan Nair , Directorial Expertise from Hariharan and a National Award Winning Sterling Performance from Mammootty as Chathiyan Chandhu.
Awesome
mhdsuhail1114 February 2019
Mammookka.. What an inspiration to youth actors.... Awesome movie. . Waiting to see again mammookka in this role..... MT Vasudevan Nair as always inspires us. .
When We take top 3 movies in Mollywood. One will be Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha. Best Historic movie in the history of Mollywood.
When We take top 3 movies in Mollywood. One will be Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha. Best Historic movie in the history of Mollywood.
Sooper
lucil-8405627 March 2021
A real classic if there was one!
raj_kalliat4 January 2002
Terrific movie & one of my all time favourites. Everything about this movie is in superlatives. Great sets, casting, cinematography, music etc. M.T.Vasudevan Nair has worked wonders with the script & dialogues, and direction by Hariharan is innovative. Mammootty's portrayal of the central character "Chandu" was so realistic that whenever one reads or talks about this historical character from the Northern ballads,it's Mammootty who springs to mind. Captain Raju too did a great job as the much misunderstood martial arts Guru "Aringodar". In fact, there were fantastic performances all around -Balan K.Nair, Suresh Gopi, Madhavi, each one of them "lived" their characters. Another lasting factor of this film are the two songs by Yesudas which have become perennial favourites. I hope the copyright holders of this movie will urgently start working on its DVD version. It would be a great tribute to one of the best movies ever made in India.
All time best classic in Malayalam
antokthomas26 May 2020
Legendary MT vasudevan nair has rewritten the sung story from a different angle. Only a genius can write it with such perfection and convincing. And Hariharan has picturized the masterpiece script to screen with utmost perfection. Everything he could get for this film was best in its way whether its actors, music, camera, visuals, songs etc.
And last but not least...Extra ordinary acting by Mammootty. A script with such a literature content...dialogues which should have its own presentation style...strong emotional content of the character... Mammootty has done all this flawlessly with cent percent perfection which made him eligible for a national award for best actor.
Truly a classic which will remain as a pride of malayalam cinema for ever.
Truly a classic which will remain as a pride of malayalam cinema for ever.
Good movie
saragsaran27 March 2021
Mindblowing
raihanakp3 April 2021
Super
wohoki-7740720 May 2021
Good
balibaliba27 March 2021
10/10 review
athulkrishna-4779523 April 2021
very good movie
rshd_am5 November 2009
excellent movie... highly recommended. the acting of bharath mammotty is excellent. The best part of this movie goes to its screenplay which was done by award winner M T. The music in this film was a great hit. This is one of the best movies in Malayalam. This is a historical story which portraying the life of chanthu in a different way. in history chanthu was accused of being a cheater, but here he is the protagonist. this film had a great twist at the end. Overall this is the one the best Indian movies which bagged several national awards.through this movie the director made a benchmark in historical film making. the fighting scenes also superb.
An Absolute Masterpiece Crafting of Historical Epic. Traditional Cinema at its Finest.
SAMTHEBESTEST21 August 2021
Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha / A Northern Story Of Valor (1988) :
An Absolute Masterpiece Crafting of Historical Epic. Traditional Cinema at its Finest. No matter how much people and critics shout about parallel cinema, new wave cinema, experimental cinema and path-breaking cinema, this traditional cinema will always be the bestest. There is no other magic like this. I don't understand Malyalam language but first two minutes into the film, and i was hooked. A melodious song appears in the start telling a past story and while reading the subtitles I was into it. Right this moment i knew that there's is no escape for me for next two and half hours. What a great piece of writing it is. The film offers an alternative version of the fight between two legendary Chekavars from Chanthu's perspective. It is a reinterpretation of Chandu's life and depicts him as an unlucky and misunderstood but ultimately honourable man rather than the traitorous character as known in folklore. I don't know the history so i'd better stay away from arguments of historical accuracy but whatever i have seen in 160 minutes has simply won my heart. I always believe that such great historical tales only needs to be told in correct manners and then there's no stopping to it. Look at Maya Bazaar and Mughal E Azam. Who hates these films? And who can ever forget these films? Today i am adding 3rd one in my list and that's Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha. People can go mad about commerical potboilers like Magadheera and Bahubali but for me they are nowhere close these masterpiece films. Four unforgettable things about this film are- Mammootty's performance, terrific writing of conflicts, Immortal Music and Hariharan's Direction. Hands down, no words. This is a textbook on historical genre. Watch it to learn and understand why traditional cinema will always have its head above anything else. In short, One of the Greatest Film of the 80s Decade.
RATING - 9/10*
By - #samthebestest.
An Absolute Masterpiece Crafting of Historical Epic. Traditional Cinema at its Finest. No matter how much people and critics shout about parallel cinema, new wave cinema, experimental cinema and path-breaking cinema, this traditional cinema will always be the bestest. There is no other magic like this. I don't understand Malyalam language but first two minutes into the film, and i was hooked. A melodious song appears in the start telling a past story and while reading the subtitles I was into it. Right this moment i knew that there's is no escape for me for next two and half hours. What a great piece of writing it is. The film offers an alternative version of the fight between two legendary Chekavars from Chanthu's perspective. It is a reinterpretation of Chandu's life and depicts him as an unlucky and misunderstood but ultimately honourable man rather than the traitorous character as known in folklore. I don't know the history so i'd better stay away from arguments of historical accuracy but whatever i have seen in 160 minutes has simply won my heart. I always believe that such great historical tales only needs to be told in correct manners and then there's no stopping to it. Look at Maya Bazaar and Mughal E Azam. Who hates these films? And who can ever forget these films? Today i am adding 3rd one in my list and that's Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha. People can go mad about commerical potboilers like Magadheera and Bahubali but for me they are nowhere close these masterpiece films. Four unforgettable things about this film are- Mammootty's performance, terrific writing of conflicts, Immortal Music and Hariharan's Direction. Hands down, no words. This is a textbook on historical genre. Watch it to learn and understand why traditional cinema will always have its head above anything else. In short, One of the Greatest Film of the 80s Decade.
RATING - 9/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Evergreen classical historical movie!!!
hmrtwi31 March 2021
Historical
szqwtw20 April 2021
Great movie,an excellent historical ever green movie, all time blockbuster movie story, acting legend mammootty(mammookka)sir & others no words!!excellent screen play brilliant director hariharan Sir, & mt vasudevan nair writing is outstanding!! Don't miss it.
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